163: [Blood of the Red Dragon]

Chapter 163: Blood of the Red Dragon

In the first round, the battlefield was still very open. Even if all the chess pieces on both sides moved their maximum distance, they wouldn't meet.

So Shi Li's choice was for all his pieces to remain stationary.

The second round arrived, granting 1 placement opportunity.

He placed a Lotus Succubus.

Unlike card games, chess games have a higher frequency of attacks and more health loss due to the influence of mobility.

Additionally, players don't have standard hand cards like Defense or Healing, which makes Recovery effects especially precious.

Shi Li's decision not to move any of his pieces in the first round was to wait for the placement of the Lotus Succubus, so it could act together with the others.

In this round, the distance between the two formations was already close enough that they could attack each other by moving their maximum Movement distance.

Similar to card games, Cube Chess still adheres to the fair concept of "both sides simultaneously."

Unlike card games, there aren't as many priorities in chess games.

There is only a deployment phase and an action phase.

Both of these phases are conducted and settled simultaneously by both sides.

The action phase is divided into corresponding turns based on the number of chess pieces each side has on the board.

For example, currently, Shi Li has 4 chess pieces on the board, so he has 4 action turns this round.

In each turn, one chess piece that has not yet acted this round can be selected.

To put it more plainly, in each turn, both the enemy and allied sides move 1 chess piece simultaneously.

The round ends when all chess pieces on both sides have acted once.

And the current turn is settled within the current turn.

For example, if a chess piece is eliminated in the 2nd turn of the 3rd round, it will be removed from the board directly at the end of the 2nd turn.

It will not participate in the subsequent 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th turns of the 3rd round.

"Moving a Persistence piece first can effectively limit the opponent's offensive."

Shi Li didn't hesitate and sent the Jumping Guard forward first.

"Gah!"

Opposite, a four-legged hunt (boar-like creature) landed exactly in an adjacent position, directly facing Tiao Tiao.

If, during the Movement phase, two chess pieces (one enemy, one allied) select the same square, a collision phenomenon will occur.

"Gah!"

"Defense."

In this turn, the opponent chose to attack, and Shi Li chose to Defend.

The effect of Defense lasts until the end of the entire round, not just the current turn.

-15

A not-so-high damage number popped up above the Jumping Guard's head.

Its mechanism remained largely unchanged after being chess-ified; its multi-stage HP could still withstand at least 3 major rounds.

In the 2nd turn, he still chose to move a Persistence piece first, the bo shan.

Except for Chasing Wind pieces, the Movement distance of the other six types is basically the same.

Base Movement distance 3 + Three-star distance 3 = 6.

"Gah!!!"

"Entering Defense mode."

-15

Shi Li also chose to have the bo shan perform Defense.

The reason for leading with Persistence pieces is simple: the unique mechanism of the Persistence type, Alert Range.

More precisely, all chess pieces actually have an Alert Range, but for other pieces, the Alert Range is 0, meaning it's limited to themselves.

However, a Persistence piece's Alert Range +2 will appear in the following shape:

□ □ ■ □ □

□ □

O

□ □

□ □ □ □ □

That is, with the Persistence piece as the starting point, all squares within a 2-square distance constitute its Alert Range.

If an enemy piece passes through this range, its Movement cost will double.

This means it takes 2 squares of Movement distance to move 1 square within the Alert Range.

What is the benefit of the Alert Range? It creates an invisible Barrier upon encounter.

When enemy pieces approach, they will most likely only be able to stay near the Persistence piece.

This, in turn, serves to protect the chess pieces that follow.

The enemy's first wave of approach will be unable to hit any chess pieces other than the Persistence piece due to insufficient attack range.

In the 3rd turn, Shi Li had the Red Blade Maiden follow up.

As his main damage dealer, the Red Blade Maiden's chess-ified form was also very powerful.

With Abundant, her HP reached a high of 200 points.

A single Vast strike could deal 80 points of damage.

Coupled with the cloud river's follow-up damage, he would definitely eliminate one of the opponent's cards this round.

Shi Li didn't spend much time dealing with a mere gate-guarding minion.

After the battle, the opponent's four-legged hunt (boar-like creature) transformed into a ball of light and floated into his hand.

"Red Boar Fragmented Tooth (1/5): Collect 5 Fragmented Teeth to obtain a complete three-star material. 'The quality is quite good, equivalent to a two-star monster dropping a three-star material.'"

Shi Li continued deeper, satisfied.

Since the quest was an 'extermination,' he believed it meant to eliminate all the four-legged hunt (boar-like creatures).

As he swept through, different types of red four-legged hunt (boar-like creatures) began to appear.

However, without exception, they were all ☆☆, level 7/7.

"It's just as Senior Sister Guo said, this quest is very simple, but I always feel something isn't quite right—"

Shi Li knew that opponents of this level were no match for him.

But the problem was, this was a Gold difficulty quest.

A typical Platinum player could at most field 5/5 chess pieces, and all their own chess pieces would only have 2 attributes.

Fighting 7 monsters with 2 attributes each would not be so easy.

"But it's hard to say, perhaps those players also have other means to cope."

Shi Li looked at the tactical card in his deck.

He still didn't know what that Red Tactical Blind Box that Hu Lan had given him earlier was.

Now he realized that she must have known about the Chess Domain's existence long ago and also known that he would enter it.

The density of four-legged dragons in the lair wasn't actually that high; Shi Li encountered about 20 of them in total.

Their drops yielded 1 Red Boar Tooth and 1 Red Boar Scale, which he estimated could sell for twenty to thirty thousand.

Sweet.

However, although the Quest Card provided a map guide, it didn't offer a detailed internal structure of the lair.

So he could only explore piece by piece, not knowing how large this place truly was.

It wasn't until he saw a "big brother" that was larger than all the other four-legged hunt (boar-like creatures) that Shi Li realized he had found the right direction.

"Red Four-Legged Boar Leader, ☆☆☆, 10/10"

"3 attributes, 10 chess pieces—"

The tag above its head made Shi Li a little suspicious.

At least Platinum 10 strength, wasn't this quest card mistaken?

"But it's fine, I can beat it."

Shi Li felt there was no problem and directly played the tag.

Buzz—

The perspective ascended, and the chessboard squares quickly covered the ground.

The first round's deployment phase arrived, and he also saw the opponent's layout and attributes.

The leader occupied 1 square, just like the other four-legged hunt (boar-like creatures), but it looked even more formidable.

Its limbs were thick, its scales shiny, and the tip of its tail had a large, scythe-like bone blade.

"Red Four-Legged Boar Leader"

Momentum, Attack 50, 300/300, 0/80

Movement Distance 4, Attack Distance 2

"Heat-Resistant Flippers - Passive": When the Red Four-Legged Boar Leader passes through Lava terrain, it does not consume HP or Movement distance.

"Lava Leader - Passive": When the Red Four-Legged Boar Leader stays on Red terrain, Attack +10.

"Blade Tail Spin - 30 Energy": The Red Four-Legged Boar Leader deals 30 points of indiscriminate damage to 8 adjacent squares.

Although it seemed to lack mobility, there was Lava terrain everywhere here, and Heat-Resistant Flippers could completely compensate for this disadvantage.

Then, the Lava Leader passive could basically be triggered every round.

One of the biggest differences between Cube Chess and Cube Cards is the presence of terrain factors.

In addition to "actual terrain," such as the Lava here.

There are also "terrain colors."

Terrain colors are divided into three primary colors: red, green, and blue.

The reason these are called primary colors is that any other color can be blended using these three.

And the primary color that accounts for the highest proportion in the square's color is the terrain color of that square.

From the quest location name, Red Foot Lair, it's evident that the chess board here is predominantly red.

"As for this, it's a bit unfair."

Shi Li looked at the opponent's last active skill.

Cutting 8 squares at once, wouldn't that theoretically allow it to Recovery 80 Energy in a single round?

Besides the Red Four-Legged Boar Leader, there were also two guard pieces in front of it.

"Red Four-Legged Boar Guard"

Persistence, Attack 30, 150/150, 0/30

Movement Distance 6, Attack Distance 1

"Blazing Breath - Passive": The Red Four-Legged Boar Guard's Alert Range extends 1 square to the left and right.

"Lava Armor - Passive": The Red Four-Legged Boar Guard causes the attack source to gain 10 points of Ignite.

"Four-Legged Roar - 20 Energy": The Red Four-Legged Boar Guard initiates Taunt on 1 target.

These 2 guard pieces were quite annoying, to say the least.

With the presence of Blazing Aura, trying to bypass them to attack the BOSS in the rear would incur a significant Movement cost.

If you attack them, you'll also be Ignited.

Crucially, these guys also have incredibly high stats.

“If it were any other Platinum 7, they might not necessarily be able to win.”

After seeing the opponent's panel, Shi Li had a plan.

He began to deploy his formation.

In the first round, he placed the Red Blade Maiden + bo shan + cloud river + Lotus Succubus.

He didn't intend for his pieces to move forward; they all remained in place, waiting for the enemy.

As the first turn arrived, bo shan first performed Defense.

In the second turn, the Red Blade Maiden slashed bo shan, causing it to lose 40 health.

In the third turn, the Lotus Succubus Restored 30 health to bo shan.

“Would it be too strange for a Succubus to fall in love with a mech? I also wonder if cloud river would get jealous.”

At the same time, Shi Li also played the Lotus Succubus's unique hand card.

By binding it to bo shan, the Lotus Succubus would no longer consume its own health when Healing bo shan.

“You can only use 1 unique hand card per major round, so it's best to use unconditional ones early.”

His tactic was actually very clear.

It was to try and stack skill release counts for the Red Blade Maiden as much as possible before the official clash with the enemy.

This way, when the actual combat began, she could immediately unleash her break out.

And under the Lotus Succubus's Recovery, bo shan wouldn't lose too much health and could also Charge.

However, the opponent's tactic was somewhat unexpected for Shi Li; they also chose to remain stationary.

It seems the AI for this BOSS battle would be a bit higher than before.

But for Shi Li, it didn't pose too much of an obstacle.

He only used two unique hand cards, Power of Love and Crimson Liberation: True, to resolve the battle.

“Not bad, indeed not difficult.”

Watching the leader dissipate into light, Shi Li spread his hands.

At the same time, a line of text suddenly popped up in front of him.

【Rule Change: The first round of PVE Chess Domains can now deploy all war chess pieces.】

“As Curator Chi said, the rules will continue to improve.”

“Before, you could only place 3 pieces at the start; now you can place all 7 at once.”

“Since there are PVE matches, it means PVP matches also exist.”

“If the PVP matches haven't changed, it means deployment is still in the 3+1+1+1— form, right?”

After Shi Li analyzed and interpreted the rule update, new text popped up again.

【Task completed: Subdue the Redfoot Nest. Rewards can be claimed.】

Then the task card automatically flew out, transforming into a small bottle no thicker than a pinky finger.

Inside the bottle was a wisp of red liquid, floating as if weightless.

Judging solely from its appearance and fluctuations, the quality of this item was definitely not bad.

【Blood of the Red Dragon】: Rage System War Chess Material (requires other materials to use)

“Why is this reward different from what was mentioned before?”

This made him a bit puzzled.

Since the task was completed, it was time to head back.

However, Shi Li also noticed a narrow cave passage at the location the leader had been guarding.

After some thought, he continued to explore deeper and soon discovered that there seemed to be a hidden world inside.

The glow of the magma grew richer, and the surrounding temperature became increasingly high.

Fortunately, he was currently in a faint state, and his tolerance for high temperatures was greatly enhanced; otherwise, this temperature alone might have scalded him.

Passing through the cave passage, a new lava cave suddenly opened up.

The rocky ground formed a straight natural bridge, leading to a boiling lake of magma.

Just as Shi Li thought there were no monsters here, the bubbling in the magma lake suddenly became more intense.

Whoosh—

A giant head slowly rose from the magma.

Crimson scales were smooth and flat, and a pair of vertical pupils, like spotlights, fixed on him.

“What in the world is this?”

Shi Li was momentarily stunned.

Then, the opponent's tag appeared.

【Severely Injured Red Flame Dragon, ☆☆☆☆☆, 1/1】

“5 terms?”

He felt as if this thing was the real BOSS.

【Roar!!!】

Before he could react further, the large dragon's head let out a roar.

Amidst the roar, the Chess Domain spread out again.

“This guy is a bit tricky.”

At the same time, Shi Li also saw the opponent's hand.

【Severely Injured Red Flame Dragon】

Listen to the Wind, Attack 80, 3000/3000, 0/100

Movement Distance 0, Attack Distance 7

【Lava Bath - Passive】: When the Severely Injured Red Flame Dragon stays on 【Magma】 terrain, it gains 50 points of Healing and 10 points of Charge each round.

【Shock Collapse - Passive】: The Severely Injured Red Flame Dragon turns 1 square of terrain into 【Magma】.

【Red Flame Roar Cannon - 80 Energy】: The Severely Injured Red Flame Dragon launches a 2-column attack directly forward, dealing 30 points of Fixed Damage to each unit.

【Dragon Flame Minions - 40 Energy】: The Severely Injured Red Flame Dragon summons 2 【Flame Dragon Minions】.

【Flame Dragon Minions】

Chasing Wind, Attack 10, 10/10, 0/10

Movement Distance 7, Attack Distance 1

【High Temperature Activity - Passive】: When Flame Dragon Minions stay on 【Red】 terrain, Attack +10.

Not to mention high attack and health, the most crucial thing was this 【Red Flame Roar Cannon】.

Literally, this was a map-wide attack that traversed the entire Chess Domain.

And the 2 columns directly in front of the BOSS were precisely the only bridge leading to it.

Shi Li had to analyze the strategy bit by bit.

“To attack the BOSS, I must get close to it.”

“Its attack range is greater than my Movement Distance, so I will encounter at least one attack before I can touch it.”

“However, I have the Jumping Guard, so this isn't an issue.”

After the Jumping Guard was chess-ified, its Taunt term also changed.

【Taunt - Passive】: The Jumping Guard can Taunt 1 target once per Chess Domain without cost. Taunt in a Chess Domain is slightly different from in a card game.

As long as the caster enters the target's attack range, they can Taunt it.

So when approaching the BOSS, having the Jumping Guard go first to Taunt it would ensure the safety of his other war chess pieces.

“Another point to note is this map cannon.”

“To get close to the BOSS, you have to cross the bridge, and crossing the bridge means encountering the map cannon attack.”

“The best way to deal with it is to hide in the magma during the round it's about to unleash the map cannon.”

“The 【Magma】 burns 10 health, which is better than being hit by a 30-health full-party cannon.”

He also thought of a countermeasure for the BOSS's map AOE.

“Finally, there's this terrain collapse. If I don't drag out the time myself, it won't be a big problem.”

“The tactic of Charge in place first won't work; dragging it out too long will lead to more and more 【Magma】 on the field, leaving no place to stand.”

As for the summoned minions, they were relatively easy to deal with.

He just needed to pay attention to the differences from a card game.

Summoning skills in a Chess Domain are released during the deployment phase, no different from T0 in a card game.

However, the summoning action does not affect subsequent Movement and actions.

After finalizing a few tactical key points, Shi Li began to deploy his chess set.

Red Blade Maiden + Jumping Guard + Winged Messenger + bo shan + cloud river + Flower Cudgel Leader + Lotus Succubus.

Exactly 7 war chess pieces, exactly 210 points.

===

“Finally here!”

At the same time, Guo Duo arrived at the outside of the nest in a flurry.

“His task has been completed—well done.”

To keep an eye on Shi Li's situation, she specifically took on the task card for 【Subdue the Redfoot Nest】.

Now that the task card had disappeared, it meant the task was completed.

Even if it wasn't Shi Li who completed it but someone else, it at least meant the cave was safe now.

“I wonder where he is now.”

Since she was already here, Guo Duo simply walked into the cave.

Along the way, she indeed saw many fresh battle traces, and she traveled all the way to where the leader was defeated.

In front of the cave leading to the magma lake, there were clear Chess Domain fluctuations emanating.

“Strange, wasn't the task completed?”

With doubts, Guo Duo entered the cave.

The further she went, the more obvious the Chess Domain fluctuations became.

【Roar!!!】

A roar that shook the entire cave erupted, making her feel that things might not be good.